Sambora sketches out future of Bon Jovi

CLEVELAND - With the final leg of Bon Jovi's "Lost Highway" tour completed, guitarist Richie Sambora said the New Jersey rock act is looking ahead to plenty of new projects.

"We've been filming a documentary and are in the process of mixing a live DVD of last year's 'Lost Highway' concert tour," Sambora said. "Also, I think we're looking at doing a greatest-hits album next year. Jon and I are writing some new songs for it and to just load up for the next Bon Jovi record."

Sambora said he expects the DVD and best-of effort to be packaged together for a fall 2009 street date.

The Nashville-tinged "Lost Highway" was a critical and commercial success, but Sambora said the band won't necessarily return to that style again.

"No, we have to change," he said. "We have to do something different. I don't know what that's going to be. As we get into the writing process and continue on, we'll see what that's going to look like. I think it comes to stylistically what songs you're writing. What kind of music is coming out of you and what's the mood of those songs. You have to color those little drawings with the right production value and the right music."

Outside of Bon Jovi, Sambora is staying active with various extracurricular opportunities. Not only did he recently join B.B. King on stage in Chicago for the taping of a PBS special, but he will take part in a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Tribute Concert for Les Paul tonight at the State Theatre in Cleveland.

"I've also been doing multiple sessions out here, some odd recordings with Kid Rock and T.I., some crazy stuff," Sambora said. "So I've been busy. Also, I'm going to be scoring some movies and TV shows. One of the movies is 'The Tournament' with Ving Rhames."

Sambora is also looking ahead to next year, when Bon Jovi will become eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "I hope so," Sambora said, laughing. "Time flies, man, but yeah, there's talk and rumors. Boy, that would be nice. It's something certainly I've been shooting for all my life. I think if you have a career in the music business, you want to get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum." *